Beto O’Rourke is ahead of his time when it comes to anti-LGBTQ religious institutions

2020 presidential hopeful and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) is defending his proposal to remove the tax-exempt status of anti-LGBTQ religious institutions, standing up for civil rights law in a way that one hopes the Democratic Party as a whole supports.

Last week, O’Rourke appeared to support taking away churches’ tax-exempt status if they don’t support LGBTQ rights.

Related: Texas Lt Governor insinuates Beto O’Rourke is gay on live television

The right promptly freaked out, with Donald Trump calling him a “wacko” and rightwing columnist Ben Shapiro threatening to shoot O’Rourke. Even his fellow Democrats like South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said they disagreed with him.

At the LGBTQ Town Hall last week, CNN host Don Lemon asked O’Rourke if “religious institutions like colleges, churches, charities” should lose their tax-exempt status if they are against marriage equality.

He said, “Yes.”

“There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone, or any institution, any organization in America, that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us,” he explained. “So as president, we are going to make that a priority, and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon the human rights of our fellow Americans.

On MSNBC’s Kasie DC show, O’Rourke didn’t repudiate his statement. Instead, he clarified, “You are free to believe anything that you want in his country to associate with whom you please to practice your faith, as you best see fit.”

“But you are not allowed to discriminate against people in this country, to violate their civil rights, or their human rights. And so, what I’m talking is making sure we follow the letter and the spirit of the law.”

He reaffirmed his support for the Equality Act, which would add the categories of sexual orientation and gender identity to the Civil Rights Act, banning discrimination against LGBTQ people at the federal level.

“This is not a new concept in American life,” O’Rourke continued. “We know that Bob Jones University – a religious, nonprofit tax-exempt institution – had its tax-exempt status revoked for denying entry and equal treatment to African American students.”

“If any institution, if any nonprofit organization is going to deny services or equal treatment under the law to gay Americans or members of the LGBTQ community then they’re going to be breaking the law and we’ll hold them accountable. And if they persist, we will withdraw their tax-exempt status.”

His reference to Bob Jones University elucidates his position…

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